The "Iraqi Perspective Project" shows what Saddam Hussein and leading figures in his regime were thinking ahead of the US-led invasion, but news from this week describes what is happening on the ground as we enter the fourth year of this seminal war. In addition to the Middle East, the Newsletter reports on key events from elsewhere around the world related to terrorism and political violence, how these events are financed, and ways to mitigate the risks or recover from incidents.

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3. AML/CFT Monitor

The AML/CFT Monitor is a monthly 16-page print publication. News highlights from the past week are provided in this free email update, but detailed analysis, background information and source documents are only available to subscribers. For subscription information, email info@tamni.com.

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AML/CFT Incidents/Cases
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Fifty leaders of Colombia's Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) rebels have been indicted in the US for drug trafficking that finances terrorist attacks. Remarks from US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administrator Karen Tandy explain the indictment:
"Americans are responsible for giving the FARC their lifeblood: $25 billion for 2,500 tons of cocaine.... In Colombia, the FARC is second only to oil companies in annual revenue. That cocaine lifeblood allows the FARC to brutally sap the lifeblood of Americans and Colombians...:
--The FARC shoots, stabs, and dismembers alive thousands of Colombians each year, sometimes for something as simple as diluting the purity of the cocaine or selling the cocaine to non-FARC distributors.
--After their victims are dead, FARC guerillas cut open their bodies, fill them with rocks, and sink them in rivers.
--To increase their numbers, the FARC kidnaps or forces children to join their army by threatening them or their families.
--The FARC confiscates farmers’ land and forces them into homeless exile.
--They kidnap and murder U.S. citizens to intimidate us from interfering with their cocaine trafficking.
--And they plot to kidnap, torture, and kill US law enforcement -- in retaliation for investigating them.
http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/speeches/2006/ag_speech_0603221.html
http://www.dea.gov/pubs/pressrel/pr032206a.html

The US Financial Crimes Network (FinCEN) has entered its first enforcement action related to violations of the casino provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). In this case, FinCEN determined that Tonkawa Bingo and Casino failed to develop and implement a BSA/AML program, failed to report or retain suspicious records, failed to identify customers, and generally failed to implement any BSA requirements. They will pay penalties of $1.5 million and $1 million respectively.
http://www.fincen.gov/tonkawa_pr.html

Ireland's High Court has provided the Criminal Assets Bureau an order under the Proceeds of Crime Act to seize assets of alleged former Irish Republican Army (IRA) chief of staff Thomas ''Slab'' Murphy, his two brothers (Tom and Frank), and Ace Oils Ltd. More than a million Euros in cash and checks, as well as vehicles, computers, documents, contraband, and laundered fuel were found earlier this month during a cross border investigation undertaken with Northern Ireland. The Murphys own a farm complex that spans both sides of the boarder. They have been under suspicion for decades in connection with money laundering and terrorist financing from a range of activities that has ranged from suspected tax fraud to fuel laundering and smuggling. This investigation links these activities to a large property portfolio being investigated by the UK Assets Recovery Agency.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=68374
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=177020322&p=y77xzyxz8
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2006/0315/2778669581HM1OILCOMPANIES.html

Israeli documents released in a Chicago court offer evidence that Muhammad Salah helped finance Hamas. His trial is under way.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0603220083mar22,1,2969758.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

Brian Perry was shot and killed outside his office. Prosecutors are considering whether his role in laundering money from the Brinks Mat robbery played a part in his apparently professional execution.
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AML/CFT Legislation and Regulation
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The US Treasury designated al Manar, a satellite television operation, al Nour Radio and the Lebanese Media Group, (the parent company to al Manar and al Nour Radio) as specially designated terrorist organizations. They are believed to serve as the media arms of Hezbollah. Al-Manar shrugged off the move and says it will continue its work.
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js4134.htm
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2004/40081.htm.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=23236#

A UN review of arms embargoes says that States need more support for complying, including technical assistance for improved monitoring of national air spaces and maritime borders as well as the development of means to identify and prosecute those that violate arms embargoes.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=17868&Cr=small&Cr1=arms
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AML/CFT Modalities
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The People's Bank of China has warned lenders to be aware of an influx of counterfeit US $100 bills, which the US believes originate from North Korea.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/23/AR2006032301534.html

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4. Emerging Threat Monitor

The Emerging Threat Monitor will be published in print later this year. News highlights from the past week are provided in this free email update, but detailed analysis, background information and source documents are only available to subscribers. For more information, email info@tamni.com.

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ETM Economies and Financial Systems
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At a time when many pension plans are threatened by changing demographics and economic realities, including bankruptcies and poor investments, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has issued new management guidance. Emphasizing that private pension funds must be well managed and transparent, the new guidelines propose use of the prudent person rule to:
* Define an overall investment policy and actively follow it
* Require the governing body to act in the "best interest" of beneficiaries when investing pension plan assets
* Establish internal controls and procedures to effectively implement and monitor the way investments are managed
* Identify and measure the risks to which  the fund is exposed and put in place mechanisms to monitor and manage those risks
http://www.oecd.org/document/20/0,2340,en_2649_201185_36333268_1_1_1_1,00.html
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ETM Environment and Climate Change
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The Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO) reports that all but one of 15 indicators show that diversity is moving in the wrong direction and that unprecedented efforts would be necessary to slow this decline.
http://www.biodiv.org/gbo2/default.shtml

"Wildlife Watching and Tourism" is a new report from the UN Environment Program and the TUI tourism group. Presented at the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in Brazil, they find a close connection between development and income derived from wildlife viewing. In many cases, live animals have become more profitable than dead ones.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=471&ArticleID=5238&l=en

An example of falling diversity comes from the UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the British Trust for Ornithology's Repeat Woodland Bird Survey. Over the past 20 years, 11 of 34 species showed increases over 25 percent, eight decreased more than 25 percent, and birds that migrate long distances have suffered population reductions of as much as 70 percent in some areas. Biodiversity strategy indicators were also updated.
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/woodlandbirdsurvey
http://www.bto.org/research/indicators/england_indicators.htm

University of Arizona researchers writing in Science warn of a catastrophic and irreversible rise in sea levels in the near future, as Arctic and Antarctic melting is rising faster than expected.
http://uanews.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/UANews.woa/5/wa/SciDetails?ArticleID=12389

China has introduced a five percent tax on disposable wooden chopsticks to encourage reuse and alternate materials that can help preserve forests.
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ETM Human Rights
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The UN Human Rights Commission has met for the last time to end its tenure and hand over its obligations to the new Human Rights Council. These links point to analysis of the history and the transition:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=17904&Cr=rights&Cr1=council
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=109&sid=6553877&cKey=1142527572000
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/24/news/edlet.php
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/23/AR2006032301071.html
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/03/16/global13053.htm

The US House Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, held hearings to review the US State Department's recent publication, "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2005". Among the testimony were observations of US abuses not included in the report, such as rendition, prisoner abuse, torture and secret detention that support US policies while violating international law.
http://wwwc.house.gov/international_relations/109/af031606.htm

The US Department of Defense is considering new instructions to prohibit military commissions admitting evidence obtained by torture.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2006/20060322_4579.html
http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/ct/-1wJHA51uPRG/
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ETM Infectious Diseases
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The human toll from avian influenza now exceeds 100. It has spread across Europe, Africa and Asia, recently spreading to Pakistan, Jordan and the Gaza Strip. As of 24 March, 186 reported cases have resulted in 105 deaths - an alarming mortality rate. Research into the deadly virus and ways to mitigate it continues. Last week, it was reported that the H5N1 virus that causes this deadly form of avian influenza has evolved into two distinct subtypes. Geographic expansion has coupled with genetic diversity to potentially increase the potential to cause a human pandemic and complicate vaccine development. On the other hand, University of Wisconsin researchers have discovered a cellular explanation why H5N1 does not yet easily spread from person to person. Yet another report considers the threat to biodiversity posed by diverse species threatened by the highly virulent infection. Finally, note the "Living on Earth" broadcast interview with Dr Harvey Fineberg, who draws comparisons with prior cases such as the 1976 swine flu scare.
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2006_03_24/en/index.html
http://www.iceid.org/
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm
http://www.news.wisc.edu/12345.html
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=471&ArticleID=5235&l=en
http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00009&segmentID=1

The economic impact of avian influenza continues to spread as well. Compensation and subsidies for affected farmers are under consideration in many areas. The LOMA Information Center warns that almost every line of insurance business would be affected by pandemic influenza, including reduced staff during a period of heavy claims.
http://www.loma.org/pr-AvianFlu.asp

University of Michigan researchers find that global warming is one of the factors that must be considered in the resurgence of malaria in East Africa.
http://www.umich.edu/news/index.html?Releases/2006/Mar06/r031706c

Ohio State University researchers have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that cells use to fight off HIV, leading to a possible new strategy for treatment that would involve a natural host response and so be less susceptible to the increasingly common problem of viral drug resistance.
http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/hivdnarepair.htm
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ETM Legal Systems
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The US Supreme Court has ruled that if one of the occupants of a home is willing to accept a warrantless search, that is voided if another occupant refuses. The unreasonable search provision of the Fourth Amendment was upheld by a five-to-three, but the new Chief Justice John Roberts issued a blistering dissent that begins to indicate new ideological divisions in the court.
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/05pdf/04-1067.pdf
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-scotus23mar23,1,2650501.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/22/AR2006032200743.html
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ETM Social Responsibility
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The European Alliance for Corporate Social Responsibility was launched last week. The goals are explained as follows:
"How can we inspire more European enterprises to go beyond their minimum legal obligations in favour of society and sustainable development? In other words, how can we best encourage a greater business commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (or CSR)? To mobilise the resources and capacities of European enterprises and to make Europe a pole of excellence on CSR, the European Commission has today announced its backing of the launch of a "European Alliance for Corporate Social Responsibility". The new Alliance has an open nature and European enterprises of all sizes are invited to voluntarily express their support. The Alliance is not a legal instrument to be signed by enterprises. It is a political umbrella for new or existing CSR initiatives by large companies, SMEs and their stakeholders. It should lead to new partnerships and new opportunities for all stakeholders in their efforts to promote CSR. Today’s initiative is the follow-up of a broad consultation with all stakeholders in the European Multi-stakeholder Forum on CSR, which presented its final report in 2004. The Commission proposes to re-convene meetings of this Forum in 2006 to review progress on CSR with all stakeholders."
http://www.europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/358&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

"The Power of the Pen and Executive Compensation" by Wayne Guay, John Core and David Larcker describes how the most relevant information about compensation and other issues of governance is often neglected in favor of headline stories regarding excessive pay, which do not substantively change corporate behavior.
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=viewArticle&id=1431
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ETM Technology
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Researchers from Zurich's Federal Institute of Technology find that a lack of guidelines on nanotechnology could lead to negative publicity like that seen with genetics unless better risk assessment is undertaken.
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=6564675&cKey=1142953007000

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering a program under which companies would voluntarily report information about their use of nanomaterials.
http://www.epa.gov/osa/nanotech.htm

A new organic polymer is being developed, which could eventually replace silicon as the preferred material for some electronic devices. Rather then elaborate techniques used to process silicon, the new material uses simple printing methods that could greatly reduce the cost of display devices such as flat panel screens and electronic paper.
http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nmat1612.html

The EU has approved six new alternatives to animal testing of drugs and chemicals
http://www.europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/347&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
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ETM Weapons (WMD, Proliferation)
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Ahead of joint South Korea - US military exercises North Korea announced, "Our strong revolutionary might put in place all measures to counter (a) possible U.S. pre-emptive strike.... Pre-emptive strike is not the monopoly of the United States". To evaluate this threat, consider the Center for Nonproliferation Studies new special reporting on North Korea's ballistic missiles capabilities, which says they do not have an operational missile that could hit the continental US but could target South Korea and Japan and is working on longer-range missiles. Export  of missiles is a major source of foreign exchange for North Korea.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-03-21-nkorea-us_x.htm
http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/week/pdf/060321.pdf

While US officials characterize the India-US nuclear cooperation agreement as a way to bring India into the nonproliferation mainstream, many voices are rising in opposition to the risky proposal. Among the, is Richard Speier. In the current issue of "Arms Control Today", his article "U.S. Space Aid to India: On a "Glide Path" to ICBM Trouble?" begins with this summary of a potential side effect:
"In the weeks leading up to this month’s presidential visit to India, the U.S. nonproliferation community has been preoccupied with one facet of President George W. Bush’s push to bolster ties with New Delhi: his proposal for enhanced U.S.-Indian nuclear cooperation. Another element, however, also deserves close scrutiny: proposals, largely unexamined, for greater space ties. Given India’s reported ICBM development, these plans could destabilize international relations and potentially even threaten the United States. The Bush administration risks repeating in India the same errors that previously allowed damaging U.S. space technology transfers to China."
Meanwhile, US officials characterized the agreement as a way to bring India into the nonproliferation mainstream, a meeting at the Nuclear Threat Initiative raised multiple issues, including a warning from Stimson Center president Emeritus Michael Krepon that this is " a major, major geostrategic bet by the administration
http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2006_03/MARCH-IndiaFeature.asp#tablenote11
http://fpc.state.gov/fpc/63542.htm

One hundred countries have signed the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. On 23 March, Slovakia became the first country to ratify the treaty.

Indonesia has rejected a US request to join the Proliferation Security Initiative as a challenge to its national sovereignty and because it runs counter to the International Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) signed a memorandum of understanding under which they will cooperate in efforts to counter radiological threats and respond to emergencies.
http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/docs/newsreleases/2006/PR_2006-03-10_NA-06-07.htm

A RAND Corporation report assesses three suspected mailroom anthrax incidents at the Pentagon, the Skyline Towers in Fairfax County, Va., and the Defense Intelligence Agency at Bolling Air Force Base, D.C. No anthrax was found. The report finds that the Defense Department followed correct procedures but should improve coordination and notification.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2006/20060324_4606.html
http://www.rand.org/

A serious outbreak of botulism is under investigation in Thailand, with assistance from international specialists. The 161 villagers infected all ate contaminated preserved bamboo shoots from the same batch, and the most seriously ill were airlifted from the northern province of Nan, where the outbreak occurred, to Bangkok for treatment. Although there is no indication this was a terrorist incident, the bacterium is one that, like anthrax and smallpox, could be used as a biological weapon. Health officials are working closely with scientists and military officers to understand any implications for development of such weapons.

The US Congress rejected the Energy Departments request for $4 million to continue a feasibility study of the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator and an Air Force request for $4.5 million to study attaching the weapon onto the B-2 bomber. Instead, funds were directed towards Air Force research on an earth-penetrating weapon. A Congressional Research Service report identified a number of key issues in the debate:
* There is no formal military requirement for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator
* The armed services are interested in learning whether the weapon is feasible
* Conversion of a B83 nuclear bomb to an earth penetrator would not involve changing the yield of the weapon;
* The Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, and probably any other nuclear earth penetrator, would not penetrate the ground deeply enough to contain fallout.
* As a nuclear weapon, a presidential decision to use it would be very difficult.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RL32347.pdf

The US Defense Science Board reports that there are not enough specialists to maintain and develop the InterContinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), and recommends higher salaries to improvement recruitment and retention.
http://www.acq.osd.mil
http://www.acq.osd.mil/dsb/reports/2006-03-Skills_Report.pdf

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5. Critical Infrastructure Monitor

The Emerging Threat Monitor will be published in print later this year. News highlights from the past week are provided in this free email update, but detailed analysis, background information and source documents are only available to subscribers. For more information, email .

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CIM Agriculture and Food
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Fungi and soil-living bacteria, instead of artificial fertilizers, are improving crop yields, boosting harvests, and saving money for some developing world farmers, and also represent the biggest source of untapped and unknown life on Earth and thus a potential source of new drugs up to pharmaceutical and industrial products.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=471&ArticleID=5236&l=en

The UN Environment Program's new report "International Waters: Regional Assessments in a Global Perspective" finds that agriculture is consuming more water, particularly as people turn towards a more western diet, and poses the biggest threat to supplies of fresh water.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=471&ArticleID=5234&l=en
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CIM Banking and Finance
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A UK Court of Appeals overturned a 2004 decision to rule that section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, which covers foreign transactions, does apply to overseas and internet, as well as UK transactions. They ruled that credit card issuers are individually as well as jointly liable with suppliers if the consumer has a valid claim for misrepresentation or breach of contract by the supplier where the price of the purchase is above GBP 100 but no more than GBP 30,000. This allows cardholders to make a claim against the credit card issuer as well as or instead of the supplier.
http://www.oft.gov.uk/News/Press+releases/2006/60-06.htm
http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=453162006

Recent debit card frauds in which security breach notification has been bypassed illustrate common legal loopholes in current US law. Robert Lemos explains this in a recent article:
http://www.securityfocus.com/print/news/11381
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CIM Chemical
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US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chertoff, speaking at the National Chemical Security Forum, called for industry to advise the federal government how best to regulate chemical plants.
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/speech/speech_0276.xml
http://www.americanchemistry.com/
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CIM Cybersecurity
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An extremely critical vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer has been identified. It permits memory corruption in a way that can permit arbitrary code execution. In the absence of a new patch to address the problem, Active Scripting support should be disabled.
http://secunia.com/advisories/18680/

Fidelity Investments reported the theft of a laptop computer containing sensitive data on 196,000 participants in Hewlett-Packard's pension plan.
http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=fundsNews2&storyID=2006-03-23T205939Z_01_N23213937_RTRIDST_0_FINANCIAL-FIDELITY-UPDATE-1.XML

The MetaFisher Trojan is a particularly sophisticated virus that exploits a Windows Metafile flaw to steal personal data, targeting financial information.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=5627&Page=1&pagePos=12&inkc=0
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=183701982

Recent debit card frauds in which security breach notification has been bypassed illustrate common legal loopholes in current US law. Robert Lemos explains this in a recent article:
http://www.securityfocus.com/print/news/11381

Addressing the phishing threat to identity, Microsoft plans to initiate over 100 legal actions in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/mar06/03-20GPEIPR.mspx

The US House Financial Services Committee has approved legislation that would establish a national standard for consumer data security. Key provisions include:
* Data Protection: All businesses are required to maintain reasonable policies and procedures to protect the security and confidentiality of their sensitive financial personal information relating to any consumer.
* Investigation: Businesses are required to immediately investigate any information reasonably indicating that a data security breach may have occurred.
* Notification: If the potential breach of data security may result in harm or inconvenience to any consumer, then the business is required to notify law enforcement, appropriate regulator(s), and other businesses in the transaction chain.  If the potential breach may result in financial fraud against consumers causing harm or inconvenience, then the consumers must be notified through a uniform mailing.
* Financial Fraud Mitigation: Consumer notification involving sensitive financial identity information must include an offer of free credit-file monitoring for the consumer.
* Uniformity: The legislation extends data protection standards across all business sectors.
http://financialservices.house.gov/news.asp?FormMode=release&id=775&NewsType=1

The Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM) attempted to refute reported vulnerabilities in RFID security.
http://www.aimglobal.org/members/news/templates/aimpress.asp?articleid=888&zoneid=1
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/163

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) addressed information security in two government departments:
"Department of Health and Human Services Needs to Fully Implement Its Program"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-267
"Continued Progress Needed to Strengthen Controls at the Internal Revenue Service"
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-328
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CIM Defense Industrial Base
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A US Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of Defense logistics considers "Several Factors Limited the Production and Installation of Army Truck Armor during Current Wartime Operations".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-160
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CIM Energy
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China and Russia have signed an agreement under which Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom will pipe up to 80 billion cubic meters of gas from Siberia to China. Prices have not yet been negotiated.

South Africa is conducting a feasibility study into a second nuclear power station in the Cape, which has been plagued by blackouts, including many caused by persistent failures at the current Koebery nuclear station.

The EU has issued a Green Paper on Energy that sets out a common European Strategy. EU leaders have agreed to enhance energy security, although details have not been worked out.
http://www.europa.eu.int/pol/ener/index_en.htm

Both macro-economic events such as the combination of excess capacity with recession and industry-specific events such as the collapse of Enron explain turmoil in the power industry, as explained in this Wharton article, using the example of California:
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=viewArticle&id=1429
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CIM Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste
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At the beginning of the week, a fire broke out in a waste disposal facility at the Ohi nuclear power plant in Fukui, Japan. Two workers were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, but there was no radiation leak. This is only one of many accidents associated with Japan's nuclear power industry, which provides a large part of energy demands.

At the end of the week, a court ordered the country's newest reactor to be shut down. The Shika reactor is northwest of Tokyo and only began operating recently. Residents sued over fears of its safety in an earthquake. Pending the result of an appeal, this decision could have significant repercussions across the industry.

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain, finding that "Quality Assurance at DOE's Planned Nuclear Waste Repository Needs Increased Management Attention".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-313
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CIM Public Health and Healthcare
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World Tuberculosis Day was marked on 24 March. While the Americas, south-east Asia and the western Pacific are on track to achieve targets for TB control, Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and Eastern Europe face critical challenges.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2006/pr15/en/index.html

The World Health Organization has developed a new formula for Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) that will help combat acute diarrhea and save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children each year. Diarrhea is the second leading cause of child deaths and kills 1.9 million young children each year.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2006/pr14/en/index.html
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CIM Telecommunications
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Pending congressional approval, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved a plan to establish a Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-264395A6.pdf
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CIM Transportation
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The European Union has blacklisted 92 airlines that are banned from operating within the EU based on safety regulations, and three that face operational restrictions. Most of the airlines are based on Africa, including many that provide important internal transit service.
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/359&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

The UN Security Council has urged member states to use naval vessels and military aircraft to help counter rising cases of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia.
http://www.imo.org/

While the US dispute over DPW's acquisition of P and O continues to reverberate, the US has contracted with Hutchison Whampoa Ltd to operate radiation detection screening at a Bahamas port without US supervision. The no-bid contract is being questioned by members of congress.

In Nigeria, privatization of sea ports has proceeded apace. One of the largest, Apapa Port, has been handed over to both local and foreign firms. The winning concessionaires for Terminals A and B is Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited will run two terminals, two others were acquired by ENL Consortium, another by Greenview, and the Apapa Container Terminal by AP Moeller.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/north/nt224032006.html

British transport union RMT warns that fire regulations on the London Underground have been dangerously compromised.
http://www.rmt.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=96790
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CIM Water
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Tanzanian villagers have begun using new solar radiation process to sterilize drinking water
http://www.plan-international.org/wherewework/eastafricaeurope/tanzania/pure/
http://www.sodis.ch/

The World Water Forum in Mexico City took place 16-22 March. The 22nd is World Water Day. Conference proceedings, including streaming video, are online at the official web site:
http://www.worldwaterforum4.org.mx
http://www.worldwaterday.org

World Water Day was marked by calls for more equitable distribution and efficient use of a scarce resource. Every day 6,000 people, mostly children, die from dirty water
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sgsm10378.doc.htm
http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp

Africa Day at the Forum was 20 March. A new report from the African Development Bank finds that the continent has developed only three percent of its technically feasible hydropower potential while only six percent of its cultivated land is irrigated. To remedy this, transparency, human rights, social responsibility, and good governance are needed.
http://www.afdb.org/portal/page?_pageid=293,174339&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&press_item=772875&press_lang=us
http://www.afdb.org/portal/page?_pageid=293,158705&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&focus_item=766453&focus_lang=us

Another new report came from the UN Environment Program. "International Waters: Regional Assessments in a Global Perspective" finds that agriculture is consuming more water, particularly as people turn towards a more western diet, and poses the biggest threat to supplies of fresh water. Falls in river flows, rising saltiness of estuaries, loss of fish and aquatic plant species and reductions in sediments to the coast are expected to rise in many areas of the globe by 2020. These in turn will intensify farmland losses, food insecurity and damage to fisheries along with rises in malnutrition and disease.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=471&ArticleID=5234&l=en

And on the eve of World Water Day, the World Development Movement released "Pipe Dreams: The failure of the private sector to invest in water services in developing countries" Key findings include:
* Just half of one per cent of private sector investment has gone to sub-Saharan Africa the area that needs investment in water services the most.
* The public purse is repeatedly used to subsidize or bail out the private sector and pay for new connections.
* In every case where the private sector has been responsible for extending water access in sub-Saharan Africa, it has failed to deliver the promised level of investment.
* 70 per cent of African water privatizations have either been terminated early or are currently in some form of distress.
http://www.wdm.org.uk/news/presrel/current/pipedreams.htm

Previous Newsletter Coverage on this topic is here:
TerrorismCentral Newsletter March 19, on the opening of the meeting
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2006/031906.html#5
Water for Life
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2005/032705.html#FeatureArticle
Water Infrastructure Security
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2004/040404.html#FeatureArticle
Water and Disasters
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2004/032804.html#FeatureArticle
World Water
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/032303.html#FeatureArticle
Water Conflicts
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2002/072802.html#FeatureArticle

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6. Disaster Reduction Monitor

The Disaster Reduction Monitor will be published in print later this year. News highlights from the past week are provided in this free email update, but detailed analysis, background information and source documents are only available to subscribers. For more information, email info@tamni.com

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DRM Incidents
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A shipwreck off the Atlantic coast of Cameroon has left at least 127 people dead. 23 survivors were taken to hospital in critical condition. Large waves engulfed and tore apart the wooden boat.

Avalanches deaths have hit a new record in the French Alps. 53 people died, making it the worst since records were kept 35 years ago.

A Chilean bus plunged into a ravine, killing 12 US cruise ship passengers en route to a national park. Four other people were injured.

A 5.0 earthquake in Algeria has killed up to seven people and injured 36.

A landslide at the Grasberg mine of PT Freeport Indonesia in Mimika regency buried an employee cafeteria. Two people were killed and a third is missing. The Indonesian government says the Grasberg mine has violated environmental laws and must improve their record over the next few years or legal action would be taken.

Australia's Queensland state is under a state of emergency following the devastation wrought by Tropical Cyclone Larry, a category five storm.
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DRM Response and Recovery
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The US Federal Communications Commission issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to modify the public safety spectrum to accommodate broadband communications.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-06-34A1.pdf

The European Commission is paying nearly Euros 82 million to support emergency costs incurred by Sweden after the severe storm of January 2005.
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DRM Risks
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Risk Management Solutions (RMS) announced that increases to hurricane landfall frequencies in its US hurricane model will increase modeled annualized insurance losses. They will rise by 40 percent on average across the Gulf Coast, Florida, and the Southeast, and by 25-30 percent in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coastal regions relative to those derived using long-term 1900-2005 historical average hurricane frequencies.
http://www.rms.com/NewsPress/PR_2006_0323_HUActivityRates.asp

Julian James, Lloyd's Director of Worldwide Markets, says that the increasing frequency and severity of catastrophic events means that the time has come for the insurance industry to rethink how it handles catastrophic risks.
http://www.lloyds.com/News_Centre/Features_from_Lloyds/Time_to_rethink_catastrophic_losses.htm
http://www.instimes.co.uk/events/forcesofnature/default.html
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DRM Mitigation
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The American Society of Civil Engineers has identified several issues related to the New Orleans hurricane protection system that it believes warrant immediate attention, as there is no assurance they could protect against even a modest incident. They also criticized the Army Corps of Engineers for failing to use safety standards sufficient to protect the city.
http://www.asce.org/files/pdf/erpletterformat.pdf

The Governor of the US state of Rhode Island released an updated report on compliance with new fire codes, finding that a majority of nightclubs are in compliance with sprinkler and fire alarm provisions of state fire codes, although a significant number still do not have required sprinklers or alarms. These changes were put in place following the February 2003 Station club disaster that killed nearly 100 people.
http://www.ri.gov/GOVERNOR/view.php?id=1572

"Support for British Nationals Abroad: A Guide" was released by Britain's Foreign Office. Responding to Britons caught up in the Asian tsunami, Hurricane, and other disasters, the guide explains what the foreign office can, and can not, do to help. The guide has been published in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Urdu.
http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391638&a=KArticle&aid=1142704222942

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) calls for major steps to mitigate natural catastrophes around the world that killed thousands of people and caused over $200 billion in damages last year alone. Between 1992-2001, natural disasters worldwide were linked to more than 622,000 deaths and affected over 2 billion people, while economic losses from water- and weather-related disasters were estimated at $446 billion, about 65 per cent of the total losses due to all natural disasters. The least developed countries were the worst affected. To mitigate these risks, all countries need the necessary systems, infrastructure, human capacity, organizational structures and technical capacity, to fully utilize and build on early warning systems.  These systems include quake and tidal sensors, speedy communications, alarm networks from radio to cell phones, and disaster preparedness training in vulnerable regions.
http://www.wmo.ch/
http://www.wmo.int/wmd/

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7. Recommended Reading

20 March marked the third anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq. During these three years, human intelligence and material acquired from the battlefield shed light on how Iraqi civilian and media leaders viewed the build-up to the war. The "Iraqi Perspective Project" provides a new, unclassified version of a US Department of Defense report that pulls together this material. Among the key findings is that Saddam Hussein was so convinced that the US was unwilling to accept casualties that it would never invade, and an internal revolt was more likely. He also believed that Russia and France would block any invasion in order to protect their own economic interests.

The report can be ordered through our document deliver service or downloaded here:
http://www.jfcom.mil/newslink/storyarchive/2006/ipp.pdf

Summary articles can be read here:
"Report Provides Iraqi Leaders' Perspective of War"
http://www.dod.mil/news/Mar2006/20060324_4604.html
"Saddam's Delusions"
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20060501faessay85301/kevin-woods-james-lacey-williamson-murray/saddam-s-delusions-the-view-from-the-inside.html

A new book published in conjunction with the anniversary comes from Michael Gordon and General Bernard Trainor. "Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq" is published by Pantheon.
http://www.randomhouse.com/pantheon/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375422621

Author interviews can be found here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5279633
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5279495
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/17/1559231

And book reviews here:
http://www.slate.com/id/2138351/
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F50711FE3B550C718DDDAA0894DE404482 (subscription)

You can read edited excerpts from the book here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1729806,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1729927,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1730346,00.html

Also note the Guardian's Slideshow:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/page/0,,1730817,00.html

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8. Asset Management Network News

We are now offering a document delivery service for our readers. This is particularly helpful to those of you who have email but not web access. If you see an item of interest and would like the source material, send the details of your inquiry to info@tamni.com. Single source citations are sent to subscribers by reply email with our compliments. For more complex inquiries, items printed and mailed or faxed, or items involving licensed materials, a fee will be charged to cover our costs of providing the items requested.

In addition to these free news updates, we offer premium analytical services to our subscribers. People who purchase subscriptions to AML/CFT Monitor, Critical Infrastructure Monitor, Disaster Reduction Monitor, Emerging Threat Monitor, Global Terrorism Monitor, or Political Risk Monitor receive monthly publications and are entitled to get our Special Reports at no additional cost.

Email info@tamni.com for details about the new products, publications, and information about services, including custom research.

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